Process of making aluminum rules.



P. J. LEAVENS. A

PROCESS OF MAKING ALUMINUM RULES.

APPLICATION FILED JULYI5. 191s.

1,21 1,453, I Patented Jan. 9,1917.

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P. J. LEAVENS.

PROCESS OF MAKING ALUMINUM RULES. APPLICATION FILED .IULYIS. 1915.

5 co.. PNDTO umo TED snares PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP J. LEAVENS, 0F BRIDGETON, NEW JERSEY.

rnoonss OF MAKING ALUMINUM RULES;

To all whom it may concern:

7 Be it known that I, PHILIP J. LEAVENS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bridgeton, in the county of Cumberland and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processesof Making Aluminum Rules, of which "the following is a specification;

This invention relates to measuring rules made of metal, and has for oneof its objects to produce rules of novel physical form, in that they areprovided with raised, longitudinal, strengthening ribs, together withtransverse ribs which serve the dual purpose of providing easilyreadable graduations and assisting the longitudinal ribs instrengthening the structure of the rule, and which rules shall embody anovel, inherent texture in that the metal is cold-worked and has itssection distributed by the steps which develop its physical form, insuch manner as to greatly increase its limit of elasticity andresistance to permanent bending; all to the end that the goods may bemade of metal that is essentially aluminum, and, notwithstanding thenormally high ductility of that metal, may be made with sufficientlysmall transverse dimensions and with fineness of lines that will availin fullest measure of the inherent lightness of the metal and render theproduction very compact in form when made up of a number of pivotallyconnected sections.

Another important object of the invention is to utilize certain steps inthe process of shaping and cold-working the metal rule members toprepare their ends for receiving and uniting with the pintles andalining bosses; this ortion of the work involving, mainly, the fbrmingof the section ends with cavities or depressions and integraldovetailing or doweling projections adjacent thereto, to the end thatthe pintle mountings are located with greatest uniformity and consequentaccuracy in the finished'measuring instrument, and yet thef'cost isgreatly reduced both in labor and material employed in production,

In carrying out the invention, a thin, light blank is treated betweensuitably shaped pressure faces to form upon the blank, raised areaslimited to localize the metal of the blank with relation to theraisedmarkingsand ribs to be produced, as for instance by flowing themetal toward its Specification of Letters Patent.-

longitudinal middle and Patented Jan. 9, 1917. Application filed July15, 1915. Serial N 0. 40,091.

ber so'as to provide it with ultimate edge faces that are adapted toenter into abut- (1 ment with a suitable confining tool and re- .sistflowingof the metal under the high pressure of the ensuingstep; the rulemembers being then subjected to a stamping operation closely allied tothe process of coining, in that the rule member is subjected to highpressure between face dies, while it is confined edgewise; the dieshaving surface depressionsconforming to the raised markings and ribstobe produced, and positioned to act upon the appropriate raised areasof the blank; inother words, being formed to impart to therule member,the longitudinal stifiening'ribsand transverse ridges which reinforcethe, stiffening ribs and provide graduation marks, and, preferably,denominational marks as well;these ribs, ridges and denominationcharacters being formed from thesurplus metal distributed by the firststep. erably carried on in two stages, of which the former, constitutingthe third step in the process, forms the intermediately disposeddenominational characters as well as the marginal strengthening ribs,while the latter stage, or fourth-step in the preferred method ofprocedure, flows the metal back toward its original position, though inmore This part of the process is pref- 1 condensed texture, and in sodoing'leaves the transversely disposed raised graduations, This methodof procedure permits the use of an extremely thin blank, insures verylight weight, fine lines and requisite rigidity and strength in thefinished rule member, and provides a very compact measuring instrumentwhen a number of rule sections are assembled by overlapping andpivotallyuniting their ends.

Incidentally to the production of'the rule member with the physical formand inherent texture described, the ends have been treated tojform onopposite sides of the respective ends, depressions to receive thehinging accessories, if the rule member is to become a part ofa'sectional or zig-zag rule of many sections, and with dovetailing anddoweling or riveting projections in position to engage with and beswaged down upon the attaching plates of the pivotally con= nected andinterengaging alining bosses.

substantially as it comes from the rolls by The invention will be fullyunderstood upon reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure1 is a plan View of the stock or initial blank that is to be treated incarrying out the process in producing the new article of manufactureforming the subject of the present invention; Fig. 2-is a plan view ofthe partially formed rule member; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the sameafter trimming; Fig. l is a view in longitudinal section of the membershown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the stock, asdisclosed in Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a cross section on the line 66, Fig. 2;Fig. 7 is a cross section on the line 77, Fig. 3; Fig. 7 is a crosssection on the line 7 -7, Fig. 3; Fig. 8 is a cross section on the line8-8, Fig. 9; Fig. 9 is a plan view of the finished rule member; Fig. 10is a perspective view of one end of the finished rule section preparedto receive its hinging member and pintle; Fig. 11 is a plan view of thesame with the concave hing- ,ing member riveted and dovetailed in placeand with the pintle in section; Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 11,showing'the convex hinging member that coacts with the hing- .ing memberof Fig. 11; said convex hinging member being partially broken away todisclose the leaf-spring beneath it that renders the pintle axiallyresilient; Fig. 13 is a longitudinal section through one of the joints,in the plane of its pintle; Fig. 14 is a transverse section through thesame joint in a plane remote from the pintle and beyond the end of thespring; Fig. 15 is a detail view, showing the pivotally connected endsof two rule members; Figs. 16 and 17 are perspective views of twocooperating pintle plates, and Figs. 18 and 19 are sectional detail.views showing two steps in the dovetailing of the pintle plate to therule member.

Referringto the drawings, 1 represents a blank which is preferably cutfrom a sheet of metal that is essentially aluminum and which the sheetwas produced. Sheet aluminumof this quality, while already subjected tosufficient pressure to roll it out from the ingot into sheets, isnevertheless unsuitable 1 for rulepurposes unlessused in undesirablethicknesses, owing mainly to the fact that its relatively high ductilityleaves the metal not materially changed in its capacity to resistbending, and altogether unsuitable for the production of rule sections,notwithstandingthe recognized desirability of the metal aluminum forsuch a purpose so far as -concerns its lightness, its resistance tocorrosion and other qualities generally recognized as inherent in thisparticular metal.

Where suchmetal has been used for the production of rules, it hasgenerally been alloyed with other material to give it resisting power,or has been used with such thickness as to make the articlecomparatively undesirable.

The stock 15 is first subjected to a pair of suitable forming dies,which are so shaped as to reduce the metal along both sides of thecenter of the blank, and in so doing, cause the metal to flow toward thecenter and edges and thus produce the second-stage blank 2, asillustrated in Figs. 2 and 6. The second-stage :blank will, therefore,include thickened edges 3 and a thickened central portion 4. The spacesintermediate the central portion and edges of the firststage blankdefine longitudinally extending grooves or channels 5, the thickness ofthe metal at these points being less than that of the initial blank 1.The somewhat distorted edges and ends of the first-stage blank are thentrimmed, the resulting formation being the piece 2 disclosed in Figs. 3,4, 7 and 8, and constituting the third-stage blank, which has the exactexternal shape and dimensions, edgewise, of the finished article. Thethird-stage blank is then confined in a rim or "frame of suflicientrigidity to resist expansion under very high pressures, and fitting thetrimmed edge-faces of the workpiece with suflicient accuracy to preventexpansion of the rule men iber, and therein subjected to the action ofthe finishing dies operating under su'fliciently high pressure tomaterially condense the blank throughout the main portion of its areaand convert it into a rule section which is hard, dense and resilient;these finishing dies being suitably engraved to simultaneously produceupon the surfaces of the rule section, longitudinal or side marginalstrengthening ribs 7, and transverse graduation ridges 8, 9. The ridges8 preferably abut or extend between both the longitudinal ribs and areintegral therewith so as to assistthe ribs in rendering the rule sectioncapable of resisting considerable force or bending moment. The ridges 9are shorter. While likewise integral with ribs 7 and projecting inwardlyfrom opposite ribs, they extend but part way across. But they lendfurther stifiness to. the structure. During this last step in theprocess or rule formation, the raised reference characters or numerals10 are im- V ridges 8, 9, and the side marginal flanges or ribs 7.The'flowing or moving of the metal, first toward the center and edgesfor the formation or production of the raised cen tral characters ornumerals 10 and the raised graduations and side flanges, and the partialreturn of suchmetal to produce the raised ridges or graduations 8, 9,adjacent the edges of the blank, condenses and compresses the aluminumand converts it into a rule section 6, which is hard, dense andresilient. The particular disposition of ribs and ridges is veryeffective in resisting those strains towhich the sections of a zig-zagrule are unavoidably subjected in opening and closing the rule, namely,torsional strains which result from unavoidable inaccuracies inapplication of force for swinging the sections to and from theirextended positions.

. Rule sections produced as above described can be coupled by suitablepintle joints (a preferred type of which is described below), and withthls in view, the sections are provided with the oppositely facingdepressions 11, 11, into one of which, 11, will extend the oflsetportion 12 of a pintle member 13 (see Figs. 10 to 17), while the otherdepression 11 will combine with the hollow side of the co-acting pintlemember 18" and form therewith the housing for the spring 14, whichrenders the pintle axially resilient. The pintle members 12, 13, areprovided with pintle openings 15 having a diameter adapted to fit theshank of the pintle 16, and these pintle members are adapted to nesttogether or fit one within the other whenever they are in alinement, andthus hold the rule sections in alinement whether extended or folded. Thepintle is provided with heads 17, 17 of which the former rests directlyupon the offset 12 of pintle member 12, while the latter head 17 bearsindirectly upon the offset 13 of the pintle member 13, through means ofthe plate spring 14, which is located in the housing 14*. In this way,the pintle members may separate sufficiently to permit the turning ofone upon the other in shifting the rule sections from folded to extendedposition.

No special novelty is claimed for the pintle and pintle members per 86,but the method of combining them with the rule sections constitutes animportant feature of the present invention, since it insures absoluteaccuracy in the built-up rule by producing the attaching meanssimultaneously with the calibration of the rule members, and therebyinsuring a positive and uniform relationship between the graduations andthe pintles on each section, and consequently between the graduations ofthe several sections. To thus accurately inter-relate the sections of azig-zag or folding rule, pintle openings 18 are formed in the rulemembers by dies to which the rule member, preferably in the conditionshown in Fig. 9, is presented, with accuracy, through means of a jigthat utilizes an adjacent raised graduation 8, so that the location ofall pintles must bear a constant relationship to the graduations. Bythis method of procedure, deviations are wholly avoided, whereas inrules having no raised graduations available for positioning thetemplet, and in which the pintle opening is located with reference tothe rule end, for instance, inaccuracies are unavoidable. Moreover,these pintle openings bear-a definite relationship to the depressions 11and 11 which receive the convex portions 12 and 13 of pintle members 12and 13, and also a definite relationship to integral rivetingprojections 19 formed simultaneously with the graduations and with thepintle depressions. Heads 17 17 of the pintles 16 fit in the openings18, while attaching platesof the pintle members 12 and 13 are stampedwith perforations 20 to receive the projections 19. Hence the pintlemembers and pintles are located with absolute accuracy. To firmly holdthe pintle members against lateral displacement upon the rule members,the latter are provided with dovetailing flanges 7 which constitutecontinuations of the strengthening rib 7. Pintle members are secured inposition by placing them between the flanges 7 and over the studs 19,while these parts are in the conditionshown in Figs. 10 and 18, and thencarefully pressing the rule member until the dovetailing flanges andrivets are brought to the condition illustrated in Figs. 11, 12, 14 and19.

Not only does the above described method of pivoting the rule memberstogether, insure accuracy, but it is very much more economical in costof material as compared with forming the pintle members with embracingflanges that overlie the edges of the rule sections; moreover, the novelconstruction of pintle connections adds little or nothing to thethickness of the joint.

I claim 1. The method of producing rule sections having markings andribs raised above the general surface thereof; said method consisting insubjecting a suitable strip of soft metal, such as aluminum, to theaction of a blanking die, having its pressing surface shaped to form ablank with raised areas limited to localize the metal of the blank withrelation to the raised markings and ribs to be produced; and thereaftersubjecting the blank so formed to the action of a finishing die withsurface depressions conforming to the raised markings and ribs to beproduced, and positioned to act upon the appropriate raised areas of theblank.

2. The method of producing sections for rules made up of a plurality ofmembers hinged together at their ends, and with r to provide metal forintegral means for atishingdie having, surface depressions conforming tothe raised markings and ribs to be produced and to hinge-attaching lugsdefinitely located with relation to said markings, and positioned to actupon the appropriate raised portions of the blank.

3. The methodof producing rule sections having markings and ribs raisedabove the general surface thereof; said method consisting in subjectinga suitable strip of soft metal, such as aluminum, to the action of ablanking die, having its pressing surface shaped to form a blank Withraised areas Gopies of this patent may be obtained for limitedtolocalize the metal of the blank With relation to the raised markingsand ribs to be produced; and thereafter subjecting the blank so formedto the action of a finishing die with surface depressions conforming tothe raised markings and ribs to be produced, and positioned to act uponthe appropriate raised areas of the blank; the metal being confinedagainst edgeWise expansion While being pressed, and thereby condensed instructure.

The foregoing specification signed at Bridgeton, New Jersey, thistwenty-fourth day of June, 1915.

PHILIP J. LEAVENS.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents- Washington;D. C.

